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RME FIREFACE 400

OUT OF PRODUCTION !!!

Overview

Connectivity

18 Input / 18 Output channels

8 x Analog I/O

1 x ADAT I/O or 1 x SPDIF I/O optical

1 x SPDIF I/O coaxial

2 x MIDI I/O

2 x Firewire 400

1 x Word Clock I/O

2 x Mic Preamp with digitally controlled gain

TotalMix

RMEs Fireface 800 revolutionized the world of FireWire audio interfaces. Now the revolution continues:
The Fireface 400 is not just the little brother of the Fireface 800 - it is a completely newly
designed device.
It is the only device in its class with active jitter suppression, stand-alone functionality, complete controllability
from the front panel, highly flexible I/Os in professional quality, and an unsurpassed 648-Channel matrix router
- at sample rates up to 192 kHz.

As usual, RME offer a host of sophisticated features and characteristics with the fastest
Firewire technology. These include:

The DSP-based
TotalMix mixer allows fully independent routing and mixing of all 18 input and output channels to all
18 physical outputs. Up to 9 totally independent stereo sub-mixes simply mean unrivalled monitoring facilities.
Copy/paste of routings, ganging and group-based operation of faders, and the extraordinary Matrix window are just some
of the
mixer's unique features. The mixer can be completely MIDI controlled, even in stand-alone operation.
Furthermore the DSP hardware calculates RMS and Peak levels for all 54 audio channels, without causing any significant
CPU load.

A word clock input and output (BNC) plus two MIDI I/Os (breakout cable, 5-pin DIN)
complete the analog/digital feature list and turn the Fireface 400 into a complete audio system of the highest
quality.

The Fireface 400 excells as portable all-in-one solution when it comes to power supply.
The included switching power supply accepts voltages from 100 to 240 V, thus can be operated all over the world.
A rear panel switch enables Bus Powered operation, taking the power directly from the FireWire connector.
To avoid potential problems, both the unit's internal power supply and the protective circuits at the FireWire port
were specially designed and thoroughly tested.

The Fireface 400's front panel features 2 balanced microphone inputs with a digitally controlled input stage,
individually switchable 48 V phantom power, and Neutrik Combo connectors for XLR and TRS. These can also be used as
additional Line inputs. A gain of up to 65 dB, adjustable in steps of 1 dB over a range of 55 dB,
exceptional EIN performance even at low amplification settings, and extremely low THD+N let these preamps surpass
those of other devices that cost several times the price of the Fireface 400.
All level settings are 100% reproducible and can also be adjusted by software comfortably.

Inputs 3 and 4 are stunningly flexible balanced universal inputs. Firstly, they operate exactly as
inputs 5 to 8 on the rear and can be adjusted to accept standard studio input levels (+4 dBu, LoGain).
Furthermore, the input impedance can be switched from Line (10 kOhm) to Instrument (470 kOhm).
An additional analog input amplification of up to 18 dB (in steps of 0.5 dB) is also available.
In short: There's no signal that these inputs can't deal with perfectly!

Inputs 5 to 8 on the rear feature RME's proven level references. -10 dBV, +4 dBu und LoGain can be selected
in the settings dialog, equivalent to +2 dBV, +13 dBu und +19 dBu for digital full scale.
The same applies to the balanced rear analog outputs 1 to 6.

The high power phones output offers high volumes even with low-impedance headphones,
and represents playback channels 7/8. All outputs can be used for ASIO Direct Monitoring purposes.

Digital I/Os:
An ADAT optical I/O* allows for a connection and insertion of effects devices, mixing
consoles or external converters.
Of course, these 8 channels are available simultaneously with the analog channels. Using
an additional ADI-8 DS or OctaMic D,
you'll get 16 analog inputs and outputs, which remain still 12 at 96 kHz. The coaxial
SPDIF I/O,
which is fully AES/EBU compatible (as is common for RME), also works up to 192 kHz, which
means that at the highest sample rate,
8 analog and two digital inputs and outputs are directly available. SPDIF optical can
also be accessed through the optical I/O.

Features

Thanks to an internal flash memory, all settings including TotalMix are recalled during boot.
The device can thus be configured and used as a stand-alone device, without being connected to a computer,
e.g. as a submixer, A/D and D/A-converter, headphone mixer, format converter, instrument or microphone pre-amplifier,
monitoring mixer and much more.

The Fireface 400 is equipped with
SteadyClock(TM), RME's unique sync and clock
technology.
With this, the device becomes a sync reference for the whole studio. SteadyClock refreshes clock signals,
removes jitter, and takes care of optimal AD/DA conversion quality, thus guarantees a sensational sound quality,
completely independent from the reference clock's quality. SteadyClock allows the unit to control the sample rate
freely on its
own. The Settings dialog includes
a direct choice of the video and audio world's most often used sample rates.
Additionally, two faders can
be used to set the sample rate freely and in real-time, within the range of +/- 4% and +/- 0.4%.

Of course the Fireface 400 offers a second FireWire port for hub functionality.
Up to three devices can be connected to one FireWire interface and operated in parallel.
The renowned Fireface 800 shares the same driver, allowing mixed setups.